


Worried Sick

by vampiricrose



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Appendicitis, Hospitalisation, M/M, Pain, ritsu is dying and dummy stupid, the maorits isnt very strong until near the end, vomit warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:53:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24965527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampiricrose/pseuds/vampiricrose
Summary: Ritsu doesn't really feel well.But he'll be fine,right?(he won't be.)
Relationships: Isara Mao/Sakuma Ritsu
Kudos: 53





	Worried Sick

Ritsu fell asleep and woke up with a stomach ache. It’s not abnormal for him - it’s completely normal, actually. He’ll just deal with it. It’ll be easier, telling others he’s in pain is more trouble than it’s worth. Definitely. He has a live later, too. He doesn’t want to cancel that; Nacchan and Secchan won’t let him live it down.   
  
Mao tells him to eat breakfast. He hasn’t eaten for a few days, right? The smell of food from the kitchen makes Ritsu feel nauseous, Mao making toast for him. He apologises when he can’t even force himself to take a bite of it, Mao asking if he’s okay.   
  
“I probably just didn’t sleep enough,” Ritsu says, resting his head on Mao’s lap. Being sleep deprived is completely normal for him - he needs, like, 20 hours of sleep, Mao jokes. Ritsu forces out a laugh, ignoring the pain in his stomach to do so.   
  
He’ll be fine.   
  
Mao doesn’t complain when he carries Ritsu to school. Actually, he offered. They don’t talk at all - and Ritsu kind of wishes he stayed home. The gentle pressure of Mao’s back against his front torso is enough to make tears form in his eyes. But, he promised to perform, and he can’t go back on that.   
  
Against Ritsu’s expectations, Mao even takes him directly to his class, despite Ritsu’s insistence he’ll be fine. It’s kind of embarrassing, Ritsu says, to have Mao doting over him for something that doesn’t really matter. After all, it’s just a stomachache. He’ll feel better tomorrow.   
  
“Ritsu-chan, are you feeling okay?” Arashi asks, the second Ritsu stumbles into the room. Thank god it’s just her in there - Ritsu would’ve been embarrassed if multiple people had seen his pathetic attempt of walking. But, he needs to respond to her, right? He takes a deep breath - nodding.    
  
“I’m fine, Nacchan.”   
“Are you sure…? You look really pale. Do you wanna go to the infi-”   
“I’m  _ fine _ .”   
  
Ritsu didn’t mean to sound so mean - he flinches at his own words, yet Arashi doesn’t jump. She’s hard to shake. Ritsu admires that. He stutters out an apology, sliding over to his desk and looking out the window. He feels her eyes on him, though. He doesn’t like it. It’s not as if he doesn’t like the worry, though, he just dislikes people constantly watching him as if he’s a child.    
  
School is fucking  _ hard _ , Ritsu learns quick. It’s not even the materials they’re studying - he can get through that with ease. It’s not hard. But, he finds himself dipping in and out of consciousness. His stomach hurts,  _ his stomach hurts. _ It’s fucking unbearable. He doesn’t know why it hurts so much, and he has some awful nausea alongside it. God knows why.   
  
Mao finds him again, at lunch. Ritsu wonders why. He tells Mao to not take pity on him and Mao shakes his head. He skipped breakfast, he should at least try to eat something for lunch, right? The air is fresh outside, sitting in a little-known place by a tree, and Mao ruffles through his bag.   
  
It’s nothing impressive, and Mao offers some to Ritsu, knowing full well Ritsu never brings lunch to school. The mild scent of the food is enough to make Ritsu feel even more nauseated. He tries to eat, though. He regrets it immediately - the texture on his lips makes him gag, and he shakes his head. No good. He’s sorry.   
  
“Don’t apologise for not feeling well. There’s no need to be sorry for that,” Mao reassures, ruffling his hand through Ritsu’s hair. Though, he can’t deny he’s worried. Maybe Ritsu’s just having a bad day? Actually… doesn’t he have a live later? Hey - are you nervous about that?   
  
Ritsu shakes his head no. He’s not really worried about the performance. He never really is. It’s normally Nacchan who’s worried about the performances. That isn’t really a reassurance to Mao, though. What’s making him feel sick, then?    
  
Shrugging, Ritsu stretches his neck to rest his head on Mao’s lap, akin to their morning. Mao doesn’t tell him off for doing it in public. That’s a benefit of feeling like death, he guesses. Maybe he’ll just feel better if he tries to sleep a bit, and he tries to rest, even in the slightest.   
  
It doesn’t make him feel any better, honestly. Mao tries to get him to go to the infirmary, but he refuses, again. It’ll be fine. He’ll feel better soon.   
“Don’t overwork yourself, Ritchan. I’ll be there for your performance, okay?”   
“Maakun shouldn’t overwork himself, either. If he has too much work, he shouldn’t force himself to finish so he can go to my performance.”   
Mao nods, but doesn’t look convinced. Ritsu knows he’ll be coming regardless.   
  
Ritsu doesn’t have any memory of the afternoon. He blinks, and he’s with Knights. He wonders why he can’t remember. Maybe he passed out the entire afternoon. Why didn’t his teacher wake him up?   
  
Knights ask him if he’s okay. It annoys him, he brushes off their concern. Arashi prods him continuously, and Ritsu just shakes his head. There’s no need to worry. Their performance is important, right? They need it for finance. He knows their money has been pretty low recently.   
  
“Ritsu-chan, if you’re seriously not feeling well, we don’t have to do the live-”   
“Cancelling it is more trouble than it’s worth.”   
“It’s not. Your health is more important.”   
  
Ritsu hums. He’ll be fine. He keeps repeating it - Arashi points out. It’s like he's reassuring that for himself, too. I mean… is there anything wrong with that? Let him rest for a bit before the live. By the time it begins, he’ll be rested and feel better. Just let him sleep for a while, Nacchan.   
  
Arashi agrees, though her worry stays. Even Izumi and Tsukasa don’t nag him when they see him curled up on the floor, hands wrapped around himself and eyes screwed shut. Really - he kind of wishes they did scold him. It would’ve made him feel a bit more normal, he supposes.   
  
The time upcoming for the performance is quick. An hour feels like a minute, and the pain subsided once. Well, sort of. Ritsu realises that it went away briefly, then came back even worse. Huh. He’ll tell them after the live. It’ll be fine.    
  
Ritsu’s full of uneasiness and a strange discomfort when he gets changed. He feels eyes on him and he’s tempted to tease them for being perverts and watching him get changed, but he can’t bring himself to do it. It’s too tiring. Are they checking him for injuries? The only mark he has on him is one from a few days ago - one from Maakun, specifically.    
  
Oh. Wait, no, he can’t think of that when getting ready for a live. He has to swallow his bile and smile in front of hundreds. The light strain from twisting his lips makes him groan when his microphone is turned off. Mao does actually come, surprising Ritsu. He’s in a place Ritsu always reserves for him.    
  
The live is almost over. Ritsu can finally just rest afterwa- oh. Oh, fuck, fuck…   
  
A sharp pain takes his breath away. He only has one minute to go. One minute. He can do this, right? Why did it get so worse suddenly - did he do something wrong? Did something break? Fuck, did he hurt himself when performing again? It sounds like something Ritsu would do.    
  
Thirty seconds. It feels like his organs are liquidating - his body feels white hot, his vision is blurry. Everyone is saying their goodbyes on the stage. It’s hard to smile and wave when just breathing makes him feel like his skin is going to be torn off.   
  
Ten seconds. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two.  _ One _ .   
  
He collapses the second he gets backstage, breathing heavier than he thought possible. Arashi runs immediately to his side, grabbing his arms and trying to move him to sit up. She flinches at his temperature - boiling even through the tough fabric of Knights’ uniform. Repeating his name, she begs for a response. Is he feeling okay? What’s going on? Ritsu-chan, please answer her.   
  
“Nnn… hurts,” Ritsu barely mumbles out. What hurts? Where? How long has it been hurting? Please don’t tell her it’s been since this morning - she won’t forgive herself for letting him go without pressing more.    
  
Izumi runs over when noticing the situation, asking what’s going on. Instead of answering verbally, Arashi just looks at him with wide, concerned eyes. Something bad is happening. Do they call an ambulance?   
  
“Not yet. Kuma-kun, where does it hurt?”   
Izumi’s had his fair share of hunger pains - they can be fucking awful, and he guesses Ritsu hasn’t ate anything today. Maybe even more than just that. Leo runs over, followed by a worried Tsukasa.    
  
It feels bad; to have all of his comrades worried over him. He can’t fathom the idea of responding to Izumi verbally. Should he try?   
  
He opens his mouth, an attempt to talk. He needs to respond. He has to - but it’s cut off by a sharp rise of bile. Covering his mouth, he heaves pathetically. Barely holding back throwing up the little amount he’s ate in the last 72 hours, he shakes his head. What is he denying? He doesn’t know.   
  
Swallowing down the vomit that he could barely hold back, he tries to speak again. Stuttering out a brief explanation, he tries his best to say what’s happening. Stomach pain.  _ Bad _ stomach pain. Left side of his body.   
  
Arashi still looks confused, but Tsukasa and Izumi tense up. They share a look - Leo making a comment to them about needing to explain instead of just talking telepathically. Is it bad? Is it good? Don’t just leave him in the dark! You don’t do that to the (previous) King, Sena!   
  
“Kuma-kun, did you perform with a fucking  _ burst appendix _ ?”   
  
Ritsu shrugs - or, atleast, he tries to. Arashi’s grip around his arms tightens ever so slightly, letting him lean against her all he needs. Izumi pinches the bridge of his nose. So annoying. Why did Ritsu even  _ perform _ if he felt this bad? He’s a dumbass.   
  
Ever the voice of reason, Tsukasa points out they should probably focus on calling an ambulance? Or, atleast, getting some medical help for him. They can scold and bitch all they want later, but now, this can be potentially  _ very _ dangerous. Tsukasa’s had appendicitis, and so has Izumi, by the looks of it.    
  
“Yeah, but I got it checked out before it  _ burst. _ Kuma-kun didn’t.”   
  
Ritsu grits his teeth. It hurts - so fucking much. Burst is a brash, violent word, but it’s obvious it’s the proper term for the state of Ritsu’s organ, apparently. He shudders in Arashi’s hold. Is he gonna throw up? It’d be bad if he vomited on Knights’ uniform. Izumi wouldn’t let him live it down.   
  
Even so, he can’t hold back his gag reflex, and vomit rises in his throat. He moves to the side, trying to avoid any of his comrades and the clothing, and narrowly misses them. It’s embarrassing. Arashi doesn’t flinch. He wonders if her kindness will falter. He wouldn’t feel bad, really.   
  
Mao. Ritsu wants Mao. If he’s gonna be admitted to a hospital for something, he damn well wants Mao to be there. He knows he has backstage passes, some people have tried to enter already but Leo and Tsukasa have run to deny them entry. God - that’s gonna be awful for their reputation. Ritsu sucks. He’s doing nothing but harming them currently.   
  
Izumi briefly walks a few feet away, gesturing a member of security over to him. Well, fuck. Ritsu always hated hospitals. He’s spent a long time there in his younger life - and he wanted to avoid going there for as long as he could.    
  
“Ritsu-chan, why didn’t you say it hurt?” Arashi asks. Despite the constant ringing in Ritsu’s ears, Arashi’s voice is gentle. All other noises are static. He tries to focus on her voice; barely above a whisper, so only she and Ritsu can hear it. Ritsu feels bad for worrying her. He shakes his head. There’s no way he would’ve told anyone he’s in pain. Don’t blame yourself, Nacchan. There’s no need to feel bad for Ritsu’s own stubbornness.   
  
Ritsu shudders suddenly as he breathes in, a sharp, violent pain taking his breath away. He tries to reach his phone, but he leans awkwardly on his side, and shakes. Arashi holds him tighter. Don’t move! Do you  _ want _ to be in pain!? Seriously - she knows Ritsu has self destructive tendencies, but even this!? Even  **now** ?   
  
Hearing Mao’s voice cuts off Arashi’s scolding. Okay, okay. That might be good for him. But… Ritsu feels embarrassed at this. Are both Arashi and Mao gonna bond over Ritsu’s stupidity? The only ones who kept questioning him. And they were right. God.   
  
Ritsu can’t really hear anything; but he  _ feels _ Mao’s hand grab his own and sees his concerned expression. He can feel the vibration of Arashi’s chest as they talk. Mao’s hand - it’s warm. It’s warm in a different way to the burn of his chest. It’s different to the acrid liquid rising in his throat.    
  
Arashi gives Ritsu to Mao, pulling him onto Mao’s lap instead of her own. She has to go; Izumi ran off somewhere, god knows what he’ll get up to. Take care of him, she asks Mao, giving Ritsu a brief pat on his head before running off to find Izumi.    
  
“Ritsu?” Mao asks. The ringing in his ears takes a break, to listen to his voice. His hands instinctively find his own torso, gripping it and sighing. Mao’s hands move it off - any contact will hurt. Instead, Mao intertwines their fingers. It’s a good distraction. Mao whispers things out. They sound like words, but Ritsu can’t hear anything. It makes him feel bad.    
  
Grimacing, Ritsu makes a pathetic noise as his body writhes. It got worse. He didn’t think it could get worse; but it did. Mao grips him harder, trying to get him to lay down, and it works. His head rests on his lap.  _ How familiar _ .    
  
Ritsu’s eyes screw shut. Is he gonna pass out? Probably. It’s not a good idea to do so, but lethargy overtakes him. One of Mao’s hands moved to cover his eyes with his palm. His hands are gentle. They’re soft. They don’t hurt.   
  
His ears begin ringing even worse when others come. Others surround Ritsu; some are medics. Some are his comrades. Some are security. He thinks his brother is there, too. It’s humiliating to be like this. He doesn’t want to be looked down on like this, but he doesn’t have a choice. Ritsu finds himself pulled away into unconsciousness. It’s always nicer when he’s not awake and aware.   
  
  
Ritsu wakes up in a hospital bed. He’s sore. He doesn’t wanna open his eyes. But, the bed is uncomfortable. He knows he’s in a hospital just because of the pure discomfort of the mattress and pillow. Maybe that’s a good thing about being in and out of hospitals at such a young age - he knows when he’s there.   
  
Now that he wakes up more, his senses gradually come back to him. It’s nighttime. He knows because of the silence - if it was daytime, there’d be people running around outside. Hospital parking lots are always busy, but it’s silent.   
  
There’s someone holding his hand. Their skin is smooth and soft, holding onto his hand tightly, as if that if they let go there’ll be nothing left.   
  
Ah.   
And there’s the pain.    
  
Groaning, Ritsu finally opens his eyes and he thrashes his head against the pillows. The person holding his hand grasps it tighter, cooing out praise and reassurances.   
  
It’s Mao - Ritsu can tell from the way his voice  _ feels _ . The way Ritsu melts back into comfort when Mao wraps his arms around him, the way Mao kisses his forehead to give him just a moment of peace. He can’t see him but he knows it’s Mao.   
  
“Ritchan?”   
There it is.   
  
Explaining what happened to him, it’s tiring. Ritsu doesn’t like hearing about it. About how Ritsu isn’t allowed any more painkillers due to how weak his body is. A weird part of him gets upset at that. He isn’t even allowed to be out of pain because of this frail body that falls apart at the smallest things.   
  
Mao confesses he got scared. He knew something was wrong from the beginning of the day, and he’s upset he didn’t push more. When he found out that Ritsu’s appendix had  _ actually burst _ when he was backstage, his heart stopped. Moreso when Ritsu passed out. That scared him a lot, too.   
  
Laughing weakly, Ritsu apologises. Nacchan said the same thing about being upset for not being pushy, and he’ll say the same thing now then he said back then; it’s not their fault Ritsu’s stubborn.    
  
“Go back to sleep, okay? You’re gonna be tired. I was supposed to call a nurse when you woke up, but I wanted some time with you,” Mao says, tucking a strand of Ritsu’s hair behind his ear. Wow, breaking rules when you’re visiting someone in hospital? It’s already hard to be allowed to stay overnight in hospitals, right? Don’t risk that chance.   
  
Regardless, the pain in Ritsu’s side is still there, and getting worse, so he wants to go back to sleep. Not because Mao told him to, he says, and Mao laughs. Okay, sure, whatever. Goodnight, Ritchan. He’ll still be here in the morning.   
  
(And he is there. He stays with him during recovery - something Ritsu finds both embarrassing and relaxing.)


End file.
